


The Sound of Reverie

by todxrxki



Series: Kuroken Week 2020 [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Kuroken pretending to date for Kenma's YouTube viewers, M/M, Social Media, YouTube, a little bit, both of them are oblivious, oblivious idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23719930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todxrxki/pseuds/todxrxki
Summary: Kuroo blinks at him, his eyes looking like they’re about to bug out of his skull. “So, what, you want to tell your fans you’re dating me?! Why?"“Just tweet about it and make a video or two,” Kenma says. “It doesn’t have to be for long, either. I just, I want to see what it would be like if I were actually dating someone, so I could know whether to make it public or not. And I want to make my fans freak out just a little bit. I don’t know, think about it like one of your experiments.” / YouTuber Kenma wants to see what would happen if his fans think he's dating someone, so he enlists his best friend Kuroo to pretend to be his boyfriend - and ends up having a crisis of his own.
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: Kuroken Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1701457
Comments: 48
Kudos: 829
Collections: Kuroken Week 2020, My favorite haikyuu fics





	The Sound of Reverie

**Tay @kencat 4h**

okay real talk here. who do you guys ship kodzuken with? :3

**Gen @kodzus 4h**

@kencat That redhead who’s in his videos sometimes!! He’s so happy and he’d balance him out so well!

**Lei @leilagm 4h**

@kencat definitely Kuroo! He’s his best friend and it’s clear he cares about Kenma soooo much :)

**K @godzukenz 4h**

@kencat KUROO

**Mai @kenmastoes 3h**

@kencat kuroo!!! they’re so funny together and i love their twitter posts <3

**katsumi <3 kenma @kenmaluv 3h**

@kencat hmmm he featured that russian guy in one of his videos and i feel like they’d go well together hehe

**Mat @acnhfanop 3h**

@kencat How about no one? He’s a real person.

.

Kenma closes the app with a sigh, turning over onto his side to face his best friend who’s sitting beside him on their couch. Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him. “Something wrong?”

“The fans on Twitter again,” Kenma says, shaking his head. “For some reason they’re obsessed with me dating someone. Mostly you, but also Shouyou, and now apparently even fucking Lev.” He groans. There's got to be some way to stop them from doing all this... but he couldn't, right? Not unless - well, maybe if he were actually dating someone... “Listen, would you be willing to help me out with something?”

Kuroo blinks, then shrugs. “Uh, I don’t know if I can agree before I know exactly what I’m agreeing to here. What do you need help with?”

“I’m just tired of the whole shipping thing, and I wanna see what happens if I hint to everyone I’m dating someone. So I figured- well, there’s no one else I could do it with that wouldn’t be weird about fake dating. And there’s no one else people would believe I was actually dating, probably. So, if you’re willing…”

Kuroo blinks at him, his eyes looking like they’re about to bug out of his skull. “So, what, you want to tell your fans you’re dating me?! Why?"

“Just tweet about it and make a video or two,” Kenma says. “It doesn’t have to be for long, either. I just, I want to see what it would be like if I were actually dating someone, so I could know whether to make it public or not. And I want to make my fans freak out just a little bit. I don’t know, think about it like one of your experiments.” Kenma lifts his head up. “Is that evil of me?”

“Just a little bit evil,” Kuroo says, “but I’ve always known that about you, Mr. Demon King.”

Kuroo insists that despite Kenma’s thought of himself as a video game protagonist, he’d be better as a villain, as the Demon King, the final boss. Kenma’s never been able to see that quality in himself, but he’s starting to now. He is attempting to torture his fans a little. He shrugs. “They shouldn’t be ‘shipping’ real people anyways.” 

“Yeah,” Kuroo agrees. “So what, you want to make some big announcement or something?” 

“I guess we could start with just a post that hints at it and keep hinting at it until all the fans are going crazy,” Kenma says, “then come out and just say that we were never dating in the first place. All of the posts were all taken out of context. Then it wouldn’t really be lying.”

“Evil. But I guess I’m in, if that’s really what you want,” Kuroo hums again, running his hand lightly over Kenma’s hair in a way that’s soothing. Kenma closes his eyes and leans into Kuroo’s touch. His touch is comforting and familiar, in a way that Kenma thinks he may never get tired of. 

“Take a picture of this?” Kenma murmurs. “Of your hand on my head.”

“Shit, that’s gonna be a weird angle,” Kuroo says. “Forgive me if it’s not the best picture.”

Kenma pats his arm. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he says lazily, then closes his eyes against Kuroo’s touch, feeling a little jolt at the sound of the camera shutter. 

Maybe it’s not his best idea ever. But it’s certainly going to make his life more interesting - that he knows for sure. And his life has gotten a little too repetitive, a little too monotonous. Kenma’s ready to liven it up a little bit.

.

**Kenma @kodzuken 2h**

lazy days with you [photo attached]

**Mai @kenmastoes 2h**

@kodzuken OH MY GOD WHO IS THAT???

**J @kenmaaaaa 2h**

@kodzuken THAT LOOKS LIKE KUROO’S HAND??? IS IT??

**Mai @kenmastoes 2h**

IS KENMA DATING SOMEONE WTF I’M GONNA EXPLODE THAT LOOKED SO SOFT AND INTIMATE… THE WAY KENMA WAS CLOSING HIS EYES, THE EXPRESSION OF TRUST ON HIS FACE

.

“People read too much into things,” Kenma says, passing his phone over so that Tetsurou can read the tweets and replies to the picture Kenma had posted. “It’s literally just you stroking my hair. People stroke their friends’ hair all the time.”

Kuroo scrolls through, his eyebrows narrowing as he reads. “God, these people are really invested in your relationships. You’d think you were the most eligible bachelor on the market or some shit.” He grins, then passes the phone back to Kenma. “Hey, look at this one. They’re not happy about the possibility of you dating someone, because  _ they’re  _ your perfect match.”

“Yeah, not interested,” Kenma says, closing the app and putting his phone away.

“Aw, but Kenma,” Kuroo says sardonically, “they could be your soulmate, and now you’ve gone and given that up!”

“Their display name had something perverted about me in it,” Kenma retorts. “I think I’m good.”

“What’s your next step in your elaborate fake dating plan, then?”

“I think we should make a video together,” Kenma says. “We can just act more tactile with each other and see if people notice, which they probably will.”

“Tell me this isn’t another one in your series of ‘Making Kuroo Play Games That Scar Him For Life.’”

“You never finished Outlast.”

“Right, and I never want to,” Kuroo says with a shudder. “God, my life flashed before my eyes when that man started running at me, holy shit. I think I also almost peed myself, and knowing your fans, they’d never let me live  _ that  _ down.”

“It’s the perfect opportunity for touching, though,” Kenma points out. “That’s one of the typical romantic tropes. One person gets scared by the horror movie - or game, in this case - and then they get comforted by the other person.”

“And how exactly do you know what these typical romantic tropes are, huh?”

“I've beaten a large number of dating sims,” Kenma says flatly. “Therefore, I’m a master of charm.” In response, Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him, then falls into a round of cackles. Kenma shoots him a glare. “Just for that, we _are_ playing Outlast again.” 

“Shit,” Kuroo curses under his breath, which makes Kenma laugh in return. He catches a weird expression on Kuroo’s face when he glances back over, an expression Kenma’s not familiar with (which is weird, because after fifteen years of knowing him and two years of living with him Kenma should know his every expression), but he goes back to his usual smirk after a minute. Kenma blinks. It must have just been a trick of the light.

.

Playing a game with Kuroo and 'subtly' pretending for the viewers that he and Kuroo are dating while doing so is - weird, to say the least. Kenma finds himself overthinking every little thing. Should he be sitting closer? He should, right? Dating couples don’t leave space between them. He shifts closer so that their arms brush, and Kuroo glances over at him, another odd expression on his face before he speaks. “Do we really have to play this?” he says, more for the camera than for Kenma, who’s already confirmed that yes, in fact, they  _ do  _ have to play this.

“The viewers love it,” Kenma says.

“Oh, well, anything for the viewers,” Kuroo says sarcastically. “If they ask me to jump off a bridge, I might as well just go on and do it, huh?”

“Yep,” Kenma says, then lets his lips twist up into a smile as he glances over at Kuroo, a smile he knows that the viewers will screenshot and over-analyze. It doesn’t feel that unnatural, though - to look at Kuroo the way he is now. He decides not to dwell on what that might mean.

“You know,” Kuroo says as he clicks on his save file, “you’d think that you of all people would be nicer to me.”

“I show no mercy,” comes Kenma’s matter-of-fact response. 

“Isn’t that the truth,” Kuroo replies, shooting him a suggestive smile.  _ Perfect,  _ Kenma thinks; the viewers will eat that up. 

“You’re not going to distract me. Go ahead and start playing.”

“I’m going to die. I’m definitely going to die,” Kuroo says as he navigates through the dark hallways.

“Probably,” Kenma says.

“You’re not supposed to want me to die!” Kuroo complains, shooting Kenma a tiny glance, his eyes lingering on Kenma for a moment too long. Kenma meets his gaze, raises an eyebrow at him, and Kenma wonders how the hell he can feign the blood that rises in his cheeks.

Who knew his best friend was such a good actor, he thinks absently. Certainly not him. Kuroo's always been terrible at lying to him, at least. But maybe he’s just really good at lying to the public. Maybe this is a side of Kuroo he just somehow hasn’t been made aware of in their fifteen years of friendship.

Or maybe there’s something deeper going on here. Something that he can’t quite comprehend. He bites his lip and says, “Just hide in there, and don’t move or you’ll definitely die.”

“See, this is what I keep you around for. You’re the best,” Kuroo says, brushing their shoulders together again. There’s a tiny shock that runs down Kenma’s spine at the touch. He breathes in to shake the feeling and turns back to Kuroo, offering him a fleeting grin before he turns back to the game. 

Something feels weird between them, but he doesn’t know what it is. Shit. Maybe this whole fake dating thing had been a bad idea. 

.

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

Another video of playing Outlast with the world’s biggest chicken, @kurootetsurou. Check it out on my YouTube channel.

**Lei @leilagm 3h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou okay seriously are you and kuroo dating???

**K @godzukenz 4h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou YOU AND KUROO ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER I THINK IM MELTING HOLY SHIT

**Mika @mikaken 2h**

Check out my compilation on YouTube of all the best Kuroken moments in the last Kodzuken video <3 

**Jay @kenmafan120 2h**

@mikaken Kuroo’s face in this video omg he looks so in love….. And Kenma’s little smiles <3 my new icon

**Fumiko @fumikokodzu 1h**

@kodzuken I just want to let you know that your fans love you. If you and Kuroo are really dating then we would be very happy for you. Please feel free to be open with us in the future. We appreciate you so much.

.

“Let’s take another picture together,” Kuroo says. They’re out at some cafe he’d asked Kenma to go to after class, since he’d heard that the “If you really want to stir the pot.”

“You’re just saying that because you look good in the pictures we take. I hate photogenic people.”

“Hey, I’m not photogenic!” Kuroo argues.

Kenma scowls at him. “You are too.”

“That entire album on your phone of the worst photos of me ever would say otherwise.”

“That’s why I save them,” Kenma says, “because otherwise you’d get a big head from all the good photos of you.”

“Do you want to take a photo together or not?”

“Fine,” Kenma relents, getting up from his seat so that he can stand beside Kuroo. Kuroo shifts closer to him to the point that their cheeks are nearly pressed together. The heat from Kuroo’s skin radiates towards Kenma, and Kenma bites his lip. He’s been close to Kuroo a million times before for a million different reasons; being on the volleyball team with tons of other boys doesn’t exactly allow for a ton of privacy. But the weird thing between them is still there.

Kenma figures he’s just feeling weird because this photo is supposed to imply that they’re dating when they aren’t, when Kuroo's just his platonic best friend and nothing more. He's feeling weird because they're lying to people. That has to be it.

"Smile," Kuroo says, elbowing him gently. "Look like you're happy to be with me, would ya?"

"I am happy," Kenma says.

"You say that in the most monotone voice ever," Kuroo replies. 

"Fine. I'm thrilled to be in your presence. You light up my life on a daily basis."

"At least pretend to be enthusiastic," Kuroo says, and then he pokes Kenma in the side, followed by his fingers brushing over Kenma's side. Kenma's very ticklish, which is of course a fact that Kuroo's too aware of. But instead of a tickling sensation, the tickling sends a shiver down his spine. He jumps. Kuroo raises an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

Kenma swallows. "Yeah, fine," he lies, moving back closer to Kuroo. He thinks about the pie he's just eaten, because that's a cheap way to get himself to smile, but... well, it's not like he had been lying before. He is happy to be here with Kuroo. Despite how Kuroo can be sometimes, despite how Kuroo likes to tease him, he likes spending time with Kuroo. Spending time with Kuroo is comfortable and easy. He doesn't have to overthink anything; he doesn't have to pretend to be somewhat he's not. Kuroo would see through that immediately.

In fact, now that he thinks about it, there's no one he'd rather spend time with. 

The realization comes as Kuroo takes the photo. Kuroo takes a look at it, then frowns at Kenma. "What kind of face is that?"

Kenma shakes his head to clear it and then says, "Sorry. Got distracted for a second. Take it again."

"Fine," Kuroo complains, "but you'd better actually smile this time, yeah?"

Kenma forces the thought of pie, of his favorite games, of relaxation into his mind so that he can force a smile onto his face. And he suppresses every thought of Kuroo. But then, just before they take the photo, he feels Kuroo's lips brush against his cheek. A jolt run downs his spine. Thankfully, he doesn't move, but Kuroo laughs anyways. "Sorry, just wanted to make this photo a good one for your fans."

Kenma looks at the photo Kuroo shows him, at the way Kuroo's lips are pressed against his cheek, at the smile on his lips. It really does look like they're dating. It looks too natural to be forced. 

Shit, Kenma thinks. But out loud, he says, "That's a good one. The fans are gonna go absolutely wild, though. Hope you're prepared."

"I was born ready," Kuroo boasts, sending the picture to him.

Kenma feels sick to his stomach. He glances around the coffee shop and then stands up abruptly. “I’m going to get another drink,” he says. “Be right back.”

There’s no way, he thinks, and then decides not to think about it at all.

.

**Kenma @kodzuken 2h**

i guess he’s okay sometimes @kurootetsurou [Photo Attached]

**Mika @mikaken 2h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou OH MY GOD!! YOU ARE DATING!!! You guys are so cute <3 Please keep posting these adorable photos! We love you two so much!

**Lei @leilagm 2h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou You two are the cutest!! We love and support both of you! Thank you for being so brave!

**Gen @kodzus 2h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou I always thought you’d end up with the redhead guy but if this makes you happy then I’m so happy for you!! Congratulations!

**BOKUTO KOUTAROU @MSBYBokuto 2h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou EXCUSE ME KUROO WHY WASNT I INFORMED OF THIS HUH ANYWAYS IM SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO ALSO FINALLY I WAS WAITING FOR THIS

**Hinata Shouyou!! @MSBYHinata**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou KENMA!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! THIS IS SO CUTE!! I EXPECT AN INVITE TO THE WEDDING!!

.

“Hm,” Kenma says, lying on his stomach on Kuroo’s bed - Kuroo had harassed him to hang out in his room for a bit, claiming that Kenma had been ‘too busy’ lately. 

Kuroo nudges him gently with his elbow. “What’s up?” 

He hands his phone over to Kuroo without even thinking about it. There’s nothing on there that would surprise Kuroo. “People are being really supportive,” he mumbles, turning back to look at Kuroo. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about how people would respond, but I hadn’t expected it to be like this.”

“Yeah, they are,” Kuroo replies. “Ha, this person says they knew we’d end up together from the first time I was in one of your videos ‘cause of the way I look at you.” 

“How d’you look at me?” Kenma asks, glancing up at him. Kuroo’s eyes flick over to him, and Kenma pays close attention this time, drawing upon his powers of observation. He notices maybe for the first time how Kuroo’s eyes soften when they fall on him, how Kuroo’s mouth tilts up the slightest bit, how Kuroo’s eyebrows relax, how utterly content Kuroo looks. 

Huh, Kenma thinks. They’re not pretending right now. His stomach starts to feel all weird again, like there are little butterflies or something fluttering around in there. But this time, surrounded by safety, surrounded by  _ Kuroo _ , he suddenly feels like it’s a safe topic. Have they actually been pretending this whole time? Or is there actually something between them?

It would explain a lot. It would explain how much Kenma likes spending time with Kuroo, how he feels the electricity when their arms brush, how the air between them has suddenly felt different in a way Kenma’s never experienced before. It would explain why Kuroo is the only person Kenma could ever feel comfortable doing all this with. 

“Hey,” Kuroo says, interrupting his train of thought. “Bo replied too, and so did Chibi-chan.”

“Shouyou?” Kenma whips his head towards Kuroo. “What did he say?”

Kuroo grins teasingly. “You reacted a little too quick there. Got a thing for Chibi-chan, huh?” he says, poking Kenma’s side. And there it is again, that little spark. But there’s something kind of off in Kuroo’s voice. Almost like… he doesn’t want Kenma to be into Shouyou.

Hm. Interesting, Kenma thinks. 

“Don’t be an ass,” is what Kenma says. “What’d Shouyou say?”

“He said he wants an invite to the wedding,” Kuroo reads. “Oh, and congratulations, of course. And Bo said finally, that he’s been waiting for this.”

“Everyone keeps saying stuff like that,” Kenma says, “like they knew it all along and stuff. It feels like we’re the only ones who didn’t think that… that  _ we  _ would happen.” He watches Kuroo carefully for his reaction.

And then it happens.

It’s only a split second that Kuroo looks away, only a little bit of red that rises to his cheeks. Anyone else would probably miss it. Anyone other than Kenma, who’s known Kuroo for too many years and knows his subtleties inside and out. Kenma knows exactly what this means. He blinks. “Kuro,” he says. “You thought we would happen too?”

Kuroo’s face turns the color of their old Nekoma uniforms. “Well, not right now, obviously,” Kuroo says. “I know that this is fake and you’re just doing this to mess with people, and I’m fine with that. But I kind of hoped you’d get on the same page as me eventually.”

Kenma sits up and leans a little closer to Kuroo, their faces only inches apart. “What page would that be exactly?”

“I…” Kuroo says, his voice hoarse. “The page where I’m, shit, the page where I’m…”

“In love with me?”

Kuroo nods numbly. And that’s when Kenma leans in to kiss him.

There’s no camera filming them, no phone held up to take a picture of them. He’s doing this because he wants to. Because he’s realized over the course of the past hour that his best friend is in love with him, and that he, in return, is pretty damn in love with him too. 

The electricity sparks through him as soon as he presses his lips to Kuroo’s, but it fades more into a dull warmth as he pulls Kuroo closer, as Kuroo’s hands trail down his back, holding him tightly. Once they find it hard to breathe, Kuroo pulls back slightly, resting their foreheads together. “So we’re on the same page?” he asks. 

“Hm, I’d say so,” Kenma says, one corner of his mouth twisting up as he stares at Kuroo. “If you’re on the page where you want to date for real now, that is.”

“I’ve been on that page for a year now,” Kuroo says, pulling Kenma back to him. Kenma’s eyes widen - a year now? And Kuroo hadn’t said anything? Damn, what an idiot. They could’ve been doing this for much longer and saved all the fake dating trouble. 

Before they fall asleep that night, both of them in Kuroo’s bed for once, Kuroo presses a kiss to Kenma’s forehead and mumbles, “Hey, at least we don’t have to worry about telling almost everyone.”

It’s stupid, but Kenma can’t help but snort. “I guess you’re right,” he says. “Maybe fake dating has its benefits.”   
  


“Mmm,” Kuroo says, pulling Kenma closer, “but real dating is so much better.”

.

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

My favorite <3 [Photo Attached]

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

@kurootetsurou delete this immediately this is the worst picture of me i’ve ever seen

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

@kodzuken Aw Kenma but you’re so cute when you’re half-asleep in the morning~

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

@kurootetsurou start running

**Mai @kenmastoes 3h**

@kodzuken @kurootetsurou you guys are hilarious together!! cutest couple of the century <3

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

@kenmastoes @kodzuken Even when he’s not happy with me <3333 [Photo Attached]

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

@kurootetsurou @kenmastoes kuro i’m banning you from posting pictures of me on twitter

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

@kodzuken @kenmastoes But the world deserves to see the beautiful face of my exquisite boyfriend!!! 

**Mai @kenmastoes 3h**

@kurootetsurou @kodzuken BOYFRIEND????? OH MY GOD

**K @godzukenz 3h**

BOYFRIEND!!!!!!! OMFG

**Mika @mikaken 2h**

We got a confirmation!!! 

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

Shit probably shouldn’t have said that

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

@kurootetsurou you’re an actual idiot.

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

@kodzuken Does it help if I say I’m your idiot?

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

@kurootetsurou no.

**Kuroo Tetsurou @kurootetsurou 3h**

@kodzuken You say that, but I can see you smiling <3 

**Kenma @kodzuken 3h**

@kurootetsurou you’re the worst. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh Happy Kuroken Week yet again!  
> This prompt was my favorite and yet I feel I didn't do it justice ahh this was the last Kuroken week fic I wrote! But I hope you all will enjoy it nonetheless!  
> Thank you for reading, and please leave a comment if you liked!


End file.
